“This Is Not a Chamber”: Senator Ndume Laments Poor State of Newly Renovated N’Assembly Building
- The Senator representing Borno South has lamented about the state of the Senate Chamber, which had just undergone renovation
- The Senator said the company that was contracted with the assignment did a very poor job on the building
- He pointed out that some components that used to be there before renovation are no longer there, directing his complaints to Senate President Goodwill Akpabio
Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, has pointed out that the National Assembly building in Abuja has been more of a downgrade than an upgrade despite recently undergoing renovation for a reported fee of N42 billion.
The Senator said some of the components that used to be in the chamber, like a bold wall clock and electronic voting technology device, are no longer there.
Senate president defended the probe by saying the renovation contract was awarded during Buhari’s administration
Image: X/Mbuhari/@abatSource: Twitter
He made the statement during a senate sitting on Tuesday, May 7, when he was querying about who exactly was awarded the contract.
Ndume said the structure can no longer be called a ‘chamber’ but is closest to a ‘conference room’. He made the deduction by pointing out that the audio recordings of hearings are so poor that one could hardly distinguish the voices of the senators.
He said the speakers are also not working properly.
He complained about the altered sitting arrangements. He noted that the new sitting rows make it difficult to stand up, and members of the assembly would have to contort themselves before they get out of their seats.
He said:
“We need to correct this. We need to change so many things. Like the sitting row, if you want to stand up, you will have to use tactics or strategy to stand up or sit down. There is no voting device here. If we are to vote electronically, the facilities are not there, but we had that previously. This is a serious observation. If you play back the record, you cannot identify Akpabio’s voice, you have to listen hard, but the audio is supposed to be very clear.
Senate President replies Ndume
The leader of the Assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio, responded by saying the renovation contract was awarded during the ninth Senate session.
He said it was during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when Ahmad Lawan was the Senate President, that was when the contract was awarded.
Akpabio said:
“It is the FCDA (Federal Capital Development Authority) that renovated it. If we have a complaint, we have to channel it to the FCDA.”
He said there is a need for the national assembly to own the complex, instead of ceding ownership to the FCT administration
Source: TheTalk.NG
